Posted on 04/03/2020 3:42:04 AM PDT by SkyPilot
The death toll and economic devastation from the novel coronavirus reached staggering new levels in the United States on Thursday as officials reported more than 1,000 deaths from the pandemic in a single day and revealed that more than 6.6 million Americans had sought unemployment benefits in a single week.
The White House is expected to urge at least some people across the country to begin wearing cloth masks or face coverings in public to dampen the spread of the virus. The potential reversal of earlier mask recommendations - which White House officials indicated Thursday were still being debated - signaled the seriousness of the outbreak and rising concerns in Washington about the effect it could have on millions of Americans.
Local officials in one Texas border town already have threatened to fine those who don't cover their nose and mouth if they go out in public. Vice President Mike Pence said guidance on the topic would be issued in coming days; a White House official later said that the guidance would be targeted to those in areas where community transmission is high.
But coronavirus task force coordinator Deborah Birx on Thursday said officials worry that encouraging mask use might interfere with the White House's prior social distancing guidance, which calls for people to stay home, avoid gatherings of more than 10 people and keep a safe distance from nonfamily members.
"The most important thing is the social distancing and washing your hands, and we don't want people to get an artificial sense of protection because they're behind a mask," Birx said. "When the advisory comes out, it will be an additive piece, if it comes out, rather than saying this is a substitute for" social distancing.
America cemented its position as the new epicenter of the outbreak on Thursday...
(Excerpt) Read more at thehour.com ...
I would recommend Duck Tape masks for the Mainstream Media. Any thing to shut these leftist pricks up. I understand that barbed wire is plentiful and very effective too.
Coming up next:
Unusual uptick in robberies and looting by mask wearing criminals. Staff unable to identify the perps due to masks.
The media can use a simple isolation device.
Put a trash bag over their head, secure it around the neck tightly with zip ties. Results are fast.
What masks?
Well throw it right back in their faces. They can thank: Bill Gates and the terrorists at the WHO for introducing it, the Blue RAT states for the bulk of the deaths and spread, and the House CommuncRATs for holding up any proactive legislative effort with their impeachment hoax.
This is nothing more than their latest effort to oust the President.
Why bother. Are you infected? If you are infected, a mask will shield others from you. If you are not infected, it will not shield you from infection if someone sneezes in your face.
LOL
Please don’t get me wrong here: I am in awe of those taking risks to care for people ill with any potentially serious infectious disease.
However:
Members of the general public have no way at present that I know of to obtain N95 masks unless, unless they somehow manage to raid masks in storage, hijack a shipment, or maybe a friend (FRiend?) gives them a few. The former 2 actions are unlikely in large quantity, and even if it happened the masks would likely be found and recovered, as anyone selling a bunch would stick out like a sore thumb. Smaller thefts at hospitals could surely be a problem, but that’s a matter for hospital security. (If short on such, maybe hire that guy whose job just went “down”.) The latter is inconsequential, and such users are most likely already reusing masks after sterilizing them anyway.
Put more simply, N95 masks are not being sent to points of retail sale, therefor the general public cannot affect your supply.
Why hospitals and others did not move to obtain more masks AND look into methods to sterilize them, early on, infuriates me. This problem was clearly coming well before Chinese New Year. All one had to do was observe China. The idea we could do anything more than buy time to slow COVID-19 somewhat is idiotic. Health care workers should have been demanding to know if adequate supplies were being procured. I myself as a caregiver and care-director for my 89 y/o Mom have been saying on here for several weeks that we need a crash program to make a billion N95 masks a month. This country could be well on the way to that, if not there, now.
I am not blaming President Trump - he doesn’t have time to research something like this on his own. No one can be an expert on even 1/10 of everything. But this is freaking CDC’s and NIAID’s “thing”, and surely they should have been advising him and the HCS properly, and to proact with prudence. Then there are hospital administrators: Are they all retards or nothing but oblivious bean counters?
Actually the public can buy N95 masks at home depot walgreens and the like and it does affect our supply. I know what legit N95 masks look like and I saw plenty on people at the grocery store yesterday. Most worn wrong I might add. In addition plain surgical masks are also in short supply in the hospitals and I saw even more of those on the general public yesterday. It is hurting our safety in hospitals
Yes, specially manufactured masks should go to health care providers, and the rest of us should just make/craft whatever version we can, so we can contribute to the solution by wearing something over our mouths and noses. It’s not that hard, I watched some videos and just did it. Some t-shirts were actually harmed in this Make process.
I have not seen a N95 mask or a surgical mask IN STOCK at ANY retail point of sale for weeks. Nor has anyone I know. Since this thing has started I have seen exactly TWO N95’s on people in stores, and I have a friend who says he’s used his (high risk comorbidity person, BTW). He has a handful because he was in the construction business and found them in storage. I got mine from a person who had a few left from fires in her area, and was willing to share, given my situation with my Mom. (They are for “any” bug that might zap Mom during flu season, not just CV.) (I forgot to mention also that my daughter has asthma, I’m 64 and we have a 67 yr. old helping with Mom.) I’ve seen 4, maybe 5 surgical masks on people in public, and as many homemade masks.* This is in the Mid-South; last groceries run was 4 days ago, Wally World was moderately busy. (I’m so far successfully stretching those runs to ~6 days apart.)
*I most certainly expect to see a lot more homemade masks, next time “in”. Even my wife is going to start making them for others. :-)
Please go to Home Depot’s website and check: There ARE multiple N95 listings, but every one says out of stock, and if you do a chat with them or visit the store they don’t expect any in for months. None are in the stores. That’s been the situation there for well over a month, according to my local Lowes(pl), Home Depots, and Menards(pl). I can’t say for Walgreens anytime since early Feb. - they are too far out of the way for me to regularly go by there. Ditto for every other source I’ve checked.
Since N95’s CAN be sterilized and reused, I’d say more than 6 per home is excessive, barring some unusual circumstance. (We have 3 here and 2 @ Mom’s.) More should go to hospitals. Your real gripe, however, should not be with people with a few masks trying to protect themselves or loved ones. Your gripe is with hoarders or your dunderhead employer. At a minimum the latter should get on the ball with the sterilization and reuse program.
You are lecturing me about things you have no knowledge of. All employers are reusing and sterilizing. I get one mask to last 3 days the. I have to sterilize. Meanwhile I get to carry it around in a brown paper bag. After the first use and storage in the bag I’m sure both sides are thoroughly contaminated and the mask is just holding the corona virus in front of my face
My employer had a shipment of 300 k masks which would have helped. We were informed that FEMA confiscated the shipment and sent them to New York. Their governor is better at getting on National TV and whining than mine is
I am not upset with the individuals procuring masks although most do not know how to use them and probably derive little benefit from them. I am u happy with the cdc and state governments tele long everyone to wear a mask when they go out sending more people into competition for badly needed equipment. A local walgreens yesterday advertised they had. N95s at an exorbitant price I might add so retailers are still selling some.
I live near a major medical center.
I observed a great number of medical face masks on customers in the supermarket yesterday.
I suspect that part of the reason that hospitals are short on masks is because folks that have access to medical supplies have reallocated some of them for friends and family.
I observed a great number of medical face masks on customers in the supermarket yesterday.
They likely purchased them in early January. When many folks realized this China flu was heading this way.
That is a possibility.
But there has been a local campaign here to donate all excess PPE to local hospitals.
There is also an effort by local crafters to sew cloth masks.
Last week, no one was wearing a mask. This week, many people are wearing medical masks.
You can interpret that as you like. I will do the same.
I doubt that as they simply are not lying around. They are under lock and key and we are issued our ration by administration. We did have a lot of patients and families stealing masks before they were locked up. If I had N95s at home which I do not I would save mine for the hospital not give them to family and friends to waste at the grocery store. I am 60’and have asthma by the way - and i still would not use the masks at the store if am had them
I also know how hard they are to obtain and how precious they are to first responders.
They may be under lock and key now, but was that occurring 6 weeks ago.
And “lock and key” can be pretty easy to get around.
I received this important text from a family member..
” From Liz’s sister who works for the cdc: Hi family. I’m swamped but I take a look at see real models every am and I wanted to provide a little context for each of you..
NJ - you should peak in about 4/5 days at the current rate of death, infection and resource availability. That means there has never been a more critical time to stay OUT of any public space. Stay home, period.
CA - currently you are looking at a peak of a few weeks from now. While you stated earlier your state has done a better job of flattening the curve. Still, critical to stay away as much as possible and as you near the peak, stay home.
NH- current model projects peak around April 15. Also critical to get what you need and the stay home.
Deaths project for each state - between 2-5000 for NJ and CA, under 1000 for NH.
Get what you need, wear a mask and gloves, go home and stay there.”
Stay safe everyone!!
You may be right but hundreds of Doctors (# increasing) have endorsed use of it.
I started writing for HCQ ~2 weeks ago.
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